Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-11-12
A War Reminiscense of General
 Nelson A. Miles.
FANNIE B. WARD.
lBy an Arizon4 Pioneer.I

tributIons 70 our war Literature, TOT tne time will come when these personal rec elections will be of priceless value. To those having no personal knowledge of and fscinations of military service. ils perils, prlysiions, and pleas ures. it may seem strange tha. ihe veter- aus who served in the Federal and Con- federate armies should so fondly recall incidents ia their campaign; and this il often made the subject of fest among those who never saw a charge or felt a wound. But when a man hes spent some ame in marches towards bat tie. and thee faced the enemy when death vas lowering in the cir, it is no; easy for him to forget the fatigue, the hunger end thirst, the blanke.-bed by the roadside, the hot skirmish on She ihe gallOp of tue battery into position, the steady advance m line of bAttli, or .he fierce charge at turn ing-poit in the engagement Though these scenes make but little impression on his mind at the moment, they all come bick 10 him in after years, and he Is surpassed to find how clearly he eau recall .ach little incident. It IS this leads the veteran, whether he wor the blue or the grey. to talk lov- iuely d the days when he carried the muske or the sword. 0nly men who have sgyed under Grant or Lee, Shsr-
 I Meade .r Jackson, can realize how deep ly the memory Of that tremenduOus strugRb has been impressed on the minds f She particIpators,
 LOns and tedious were the days and months passed in tte winter quarters of the srny before Petersburg in cOmpRr!- son wih the marching snd fighting Ot the prsiOus summer And fall ot 1851 The m'nOtony ot camp life wGs only partisli. relieved by picket duty, work on inc ,stelsive Qualifications, which en- circled he cisy of Petersburg ss far Hs eye codd reach, Bn occasional drili, -yaade or review. Many pleasant: hours were spent in the cosy hats ot every dscrIption which the men hsh and decorated according to the sbilit and taste of the builder; here you couH see the regular log cabin, erected ccordiGg to the time honOred rules of 'quatier custom; there was n small stcksde of neatly aligned upright posts wih interstices carefully plEsleTed over; bS is side, a nOndescript hsbitstiOn constructed by a cOmbina- tion of bsTel-staves, boards of cracker boxes and what nos. In one respect, however. here was uniformity the roofs of all consisted of tent sheets stretched over the riigepole, admitting sufficient light for al purposes and st the same time protecting the tenant from the snow and min
 But at bst, spring time was coming on a pace. IL history teaches us that great evenss cast their shadows before, the soldier Aso has certain signs that the quiet O camp life IS soon to be in- terrupted. thIt active hostilites are about to bean. During the month of March tequent reconnoissances had been made by our troops in front of Petersbu-g9 hi.h culmiuated ID almost a battle al the second Hatcher's Run. Soon after he temporary camp hospitals in the rsR of lhe lInes were ordered
 back to Gty PoIUG, the suffers pulled up their sakes, struck their tents and disRppeard; a severe inspection of arms IVES held nd then came heavy marohIug orders. btions were drawn and the march bean Our regiment was the 7th N. Volunteers and belonged To the 3i Brigse, Is: Division 2i Army Corps. Since ththesvy losses we had sustained An Nn m hn lighting Deep Bottom and especially at Ream' StstIon on the Weldon rail road, bu few recruits had joined us.
 Soon fter our southwGrd march be- gan a hsyy ram Set in and made the yellow By of Virginis very difficult for the prOgess of the soldiers of all arms; still We ioided on and already on the foliCwin. day came upon the enemy who yiaied after q short resistance. We wer part of the left wing of the Union fsces and took but small part ID the bat;l of Five Forks, being pushed ss rspidT us possible forwsrd toward the SOua Side railroad to cut off the retreat. After sharp en- gagemer on April lst Tn which we Ie- pulsed te enemy We bivOuacked on the borders wood listening to the uH- cessing oar of the eannOn's thunder, which Cne to us during the whole night wh unceRsing peals from the north. ! was tremendous cannOnGde | which lsted till early dawn when the | sharply yIven command: Fall in," broughtls to our feet.
 In aDinstant the lines were formed | and We commenced a steady advance ID | a westeri direction. Skirmishers were | thrown ,rwsrd and shortly after sun rise we ome face to face with a strong | line of )rtitcatIOns-but without its | defender. We climbed over them and | continue, our advance. About three | miles fulher on We came to a large | farm and a- several of our field officers | ID conversation with some field hands, | and soon skers rumor passed along the | line that Peesburg was in our hands, | What shout en the ar!
 We were no urged to increase our gait, but litb urging was needed taAn; that meant the begin hing of the end Forward we pushed. full of courag and enthusiasm, toward a thickly timdred stretch of VIrginin pines. All st,nce our skirmishsrs cane " u AbaA- DNA NC ConhOh oCo tAC my, but be macs his presence felt from he other sidef the timber belt Listen To these hell-Srn sounds of bursting shells; over before us, behind us. lnder us iheyixplode will fearful death lealing effect-but on We push tn the timber. throul the woods, with a great shct attempting to charge icrcss five hUdred yards of an open ield at whosoppUsite side the heavily
 ortitied emtnkment of the coveted 'outh Side raroad, with its desperate defenders in reat numbers await us. What n hail oshot and shell, what q ain of musk balls! IL was useless. Back we cam to the shelter of the woods hut rot tb six hundredr
 Once norese tried-sgHin in vain. While VIC vel recruiting strength after he second clrge and awaiting re en- orcements Q the edge of the wood here sppesrI suddenly upon the scene
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